From crisis to opportunity: reimagining media development in the MENA region (Apr. 2025)
How to building stronger partnerships based on genuine solidarity to sustain a locally-owned media support community to sustain resilient independent journalism
Organisers:
Date: 28 April 2025
Time: 09:00 - 17:00 CET/10:00-18:00 UTC+3
Location: Marseille, France
Registration: Please contact sahafamed@journalisme.com if you are interested in attending
Languages: Arabic, English, and French
The meeting agenda is available here:
Meeting AgendaThe literature review is available here:
Literature ReviewMeeting objectives
1. Rethinking Media Development Partnerships in the MENA Region
Objective: Identify and explore new models of partnership that are rooted in genuine solidarity, led by local actors, and better aligned with the evolving needs of media stakeholders in the MENA region.
Approach: Engage national and regional organisations to share their perspectives and experiences. Invite international organisations and donors to reflect on how they can adapt their approaches and align with the OECD Principles for Relevant and Effective Support to Media and the Information Environment.
2. Enhancing Coordination and Support in Crisis Contexts
Objective: Strengthen information sharing and coordination of international support in key crisis-affected countries, including Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Sudan.
Approach: Highlight existing locally-led and international coordination efforts through concise flash presentations. Discuss strengths, areas for improvement, opportunities for collaboration, and specific support needs.
Background
Over the past year, the war in Gaza and the withdrawal of the U.S. and other funding have significantly reshaped the media landscape across the MENA region. At the same time, media outlets and media-focused NGOs within the region have strengthened their capacities and are now poised to play a more central role in shaping the future of their respective media ecosystems.
This closed-door meeting brings together donors and key media development stakeholders for a frank and collaborative discussion. It offers a timely opportunity to lay all of our cards on the table and rethink how partnerships for journalism and media support can be reimagined in the MENA region.
At a time when media organisations and journalists face increasing threats and mounting challenges, the need for unified, strategic thinking and coordinated action has never been more urgent.
Participants representing organisations from the MENA region will be asked to respond to the challenge as outlined in February’s Splice newsletter, which in reaction to the US funding cuts, asked: If you could redesign this entire information ecosystem so it would be stronger in two years, how would you do it?
The decades-old media development model, while well-intentioned, has sometimes perpetuated dependency and rewarded organisations more skilled at fundraising from grantors than serving their communities. All at the cost of building viable media companies.
This crisis is too important to waste and it gives us an opportunity to ask how best to defend the integrity of the information ecosystem, not just journalism. How should we focus our limited resources on organizations demonstrating genuine commitment to truly making a difference for their communities?
This isn't about abandoning journalism — it's about building stronger foundations. By supporting fewer newsrooms more deeply, prioritising those that combine editorial excellence with viable business thinking, we could emerge from this crisis with a more resilient independent media sector.
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